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> The focus of the Digital Services Act is to create a single set of rules for the EU to keep users safe online, protect their freedom of expression and help bo

by buisi 6y ago

> The focus of the Digital Services Act is to create a single set of rules for the EU to keep users safe online, protect their freedom of expression and help both them and local authorities hold tech companies to account. You can either have freedom of expression or safety online. You can't have both. And the second might be an impossible goal regardless.

avianlyric 6y ago
The world isn't so black and white. Even in the US, the home of free speech, you can't post child pornogaphy online. You could easily put forward the argument then that freedom of expression doesn't exist in the US. Freedom of expression has never really meant you're completely free to say and anything (at least no in a civilized world). There are always going to be gray areas, but equally there are areas where expression should obviously be protected. An example would be, if Facebook decided to eradicate all homosexual content. Clearly the EU stepping in and saying you can't discriminate against gay speech is protecting the gay communities freedom of expression. Equally the EU stepping in and saying the Facebook isn't doing enough to protect victims of revenge porn is providing safety online. And is a reasonable balance between the rights of free expression from the poster vs the victim.
- buisi 6y ago
  Let us say the internet was created 50 years ago, and Facebook decided to eradicate all homosexual content. Perhaps, not even maliciously but as collateral damage for another goal. Would it have been as shocking or obviously bad?
  - avianlyric 6y ago
    The internet is not the only place the social changes happens. Equally the EU isn't applying the same regulation to every company, the most significant ones only apply to companies with 10% market share. It would be quite plausible for gay friendly social networks to spring up to fill that gap, and I would entirely expect it to happen. Apps like Grindr basically proves it would happen.
    - 00__00 6y ago
      Excellent comment, and fully agree with that. With freedom comes responsibility and so forth. One persons freedom should not remove another's - which is what the platforms are doing. The EU are ready to act https://twitter.com/NetopiaEU/status/1338879633392070656 https://twitter.com/NetopiaEU/status/1338879633392070656
    - buisi 6y ago
      Don't gay people make up at least 5% of the population?

by buisi 6y ago

avianlyric 6y ago

The world isn't so black and white. Even in the US, the home of free speech, you can't post child pornogaphy online. You could easily put forward the argument then that freedom of expression doesn't exist in the US. Freedom of expression has never really meant you're completely free to say and anything (at least no in a civilized world). There are always going to be gray areas, but equally there are areas where expression should obviously be protected. An example would be, if Facebook decided to eradicate all homosexual content. Clearly the EU stepping in and saying you can't discriminate against gay speech is protecting the gay communities freedom of expression. Equally the EU stepping in and saying the Facebook isn't doing enough to protect victims of revenge porn is providing safety online. And is a reasonable balance between the rights of free expression from the poster vs the victim.

buisi 6y ago
Let us say the internet was created 50 years ago, and Facebook decided to eradicate all homosexual content. Perhaps, not even maliciously but as collateral damage for another goal. Would it have been as shocking or obviously bad?
- avianlyric 6y ago
  The internet is not the only place the social changes happens. Equally the EU isn't applying the same regulation to every company, the most significant ones only apply to companies with 10% market share. It would be quite plausible for gay friendly social networks to spring up to fill that gap, and I would entirely expect it to happen. Apps like Grindr basically proves it would happen.
  - 00__00 6y ago
    Excellent comment, and fully agree with that. With freedom comes responsibility and so forth. One persons freedom should not remove another's - which is what the platforms are doing. The EU are ready to act https://twitter.com/NetopiaEU/status/1338879633392070656 https://twitter.com/NetopiaEU/status/1338879633392070656
  - buisi 6y ago
    Don't gay people make up at least 5% of the population?